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Alain and shook it "You did what I wish I’d had the rateful"

Mama nodded "As far as I’m concerned, you’re a permanent member of this faled himself froested to the others

Bella started crying, and Little Tony called for his rateful smile before they disappeared into the family room Her father followed As they retrieved the children, turned off the TV, and disappeared into the back of the house, the yawning silence suddenly enveloped she and Jason, threatening to s thery with rowled at her, threatening to break free from its chain "Apparently, I’ht reasons, but…I can’t believe you went around me like that"

Jason tilted his head "You left e, you weren’t going to stop obsessing It takes two to have afor us, Gia IWhat are you doing to keep us together?"

"You only offered that reward because you didn’t think I was good enough atWay I did it because I knew you were brave and deter until the day one of you died"

His words knocked her back on her heels For a long moment, Gia couldn’t quite breathe

"You’ve always made me feel so special and cared for--until this Now you’ve just taken away my sense of purpose Poof" She tossed her hands in the air "All gone--without saying a word to me Yes, I know you did it to protect me But you tried to distractI needed toWayner clothes And you just didn’t get that love is ht be able to buy another wife, but not this one If you don’t see that, I’ether"

He stiffened, then clenched his jaw as he stepped back from her deliberately and slowly "You haven’t discussed any of your plans with erous manhunt Or your decision to nore your husband But I digress… I’ too hard Neither will happen again I’ve done everything I know to e, but it’s clear to me that ill never be a priority for you" He shoved his hands in his pockets "Tell your family that it was nice to ht Good-bye, Gia"

Jason raised his hand like he wanted to touch her But he didn’t He simply clenched his fist and turned on his heel before he walked away Her chest ied and raw pieces of her heart a splintered heap Gia wanted to call hie him any more than he could fit her into the mold of women, like his mother, he understood

As her husband shut the door quietly behind hi would ever be the sah her chest

Jason paced his condo The Nove s, blinding him If he’d been able to drink hiover would be bitching at the light As it was, he had nothing to blame his squinty, vampiric avoidance of the sun on except his badcheerful when he wasn’t?

Stalking back into the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water and downed long ss He hadn’t been able to run this anger out of his syste on the treadht Neither had trying to logic his way out of this mess No e and now he should move on, Jason couldn’t make himself listen He’d even tried to convince himself that Gia was just another wo inside hi it He had no idea why

She’d been a pain in his ass, with her quick Italian teical She’d taken a long tiive him her submission, railed every time he tried to set boundaries or keep her safe, insisted that she didn’t need hisfrohed

In some ways, those traits were the very ones that had drawn him to her, which probably made hie of coaxing her from her shell Gia’s independence coupled with her submissive nature had been so unlike anyone he’d ive a shit about his fortune was refreshing Hell, he respected it She’d wanted money from their divorce, yes It disappointed him, but the businessman that lurked in his brain said that in her position, he’d want the sureed upon, too His attraction to Gia was everything he’d thought and still er on Her loyalty, for sure The way she so often put the people she cared about first

Sadly, she’d never made hi over a woman ould never return half of his…what, sense of attachh school What he felt washer now hurt like he’d lost so vital A limb, maybe But even more important

Like his heart?

Jason downed another sater, then huffed out a breath of air Oh, shit Was that even possible? He’d always believed that love was a fabrication, but what else explained why Gia would sacrifice so much of herself to help raise her niece and nephew? Risk her life to vindicate her brother? Worry so enuinely loved those people, would do anything for them

Maybe she hadn’t been able to love hi of love His parents had been lousy exaer to help raise the children of a relative grieving the loss of a spouse She would have cheered Way it about because she wouldn’t have had to get her hands dirty She could sine, and think about how grand life was Even his dad hadn’t been a shining exa, but he had zero respect for a man ould leave his wife and three kids because he’d been stupid enough to bang his secretary and knock her up All his life, Jason had seen "love" exchanged for a new pair of shoes or a trip to anywhere exotic

Before she’d ever taken a dime from him, Gia had proven that wasn’t love at all

So as it exactly?

Jason whipped out his phone and opened his browser to search Dictionary results popped up With a shrug, he figured that was as good a place to start as any

1 A deep, tender, indescribable feeling of affection and care toward a person, such as that arising fronition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness

That was a really convoluted way of saying he gave a shit about her way e person and that he had a hard ti of intense desire and attraction toward a person hom one is disposed to make a pair; the eh those were really clinical words to describe the feelings unsettling hi like this and he didn’t have anything to compare it with What her parents felt for one another? That had looked like love to him When he’d seen Marco and Silvana, he’d been struck by an odd jealousy Those two had been through hell together, would have done anything to make one another happy and whole Jason couldn’t deny he wanted what they shared

3 Sexual passion

Um…like mad He wanted his wife all the time Check, check, check

Well, shit He was in love What a fine tione

If his h her head off--after she’d asked hiripped the phone tighter What did he do about this ht He’d tried to help her and keep her safe, and he’d been hurt So he had thrown in the towel But really, he couldn’t keep the relationship going for them She had to want it, too

Why didn’t she? Was he that unlovable?

As he ping-ponged o and call his attorney or find another way to lure his wife to his side, his phone rang He stared at the display